Senior Associate Director, Regional Advancement, Central

About the role

The Senior Associate Director plans and implements a coordinated advancement program of fundraising and strategic cultivation activities for the University of Chicago in the Central region of the United States, including in states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. This role focuses on identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding alumni, parents, and friends who have the capacity to make financial commitments of $100K-$4.9M to the University of Chicago.

Responsibilities

• Identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards alumni, parents and friends who have the capacity to make financial commitments of $100K-$4.9M to the University of Chicago.
• Develops and manages a personal fundraising portfolio of 100+ high-net-worth donors and prospects with the capacity and inclination to make major ($100K+) annually, with 85+ corresponding prospect visits.
• Builds and manages a prospect pipeline that could yield as much as 20 major gift solicitations, and $3 million in booked gift commitments at steady state.
• Partners with senior leaders to establish fundraising goals and priorities aligned with departmental objectives; designs and monitors strategies to achieve results.
• Manages programs designed to meet University fundraising goals for contributed income.
• Serves as strategist of efforts to secure gifts and build relationships with alumni, faculty, administrators and organizations with potential to make gifts.
• Develops communication strategies for projects.
• Serves as a mentor and coach to fundraisers across the Midwest, West Coast, and East Coast; partners with their managers to set goals, build skills, secure resources, and drive performance.
• Achieves fundraising and activity goals on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
• Prepares senior administrators for prospect engagement, including briefing materials and strategy.
• Identifies, cultivates, and develops relationships with alumni, parents, and friends with significant giving capacity.
• Partners with unit directors of development, Deans, Officers, Faculty Directors, and other University leaders to shape and execute regional fundraising strategies and drive activity.
• Plans, briefs, and may accompany University leadership on prospect and donor visits, as appropriate.
• Sets fundraising goals and priorities based on department objectives, designs strategies to meet those goals, and monitors progress against goals.
• Identifies, analyzes, and qualifies donor interest to maximize giving.
• Helps with overall planning efforts for the University's most important prospects.
• Works independently to develop communication strategies for projects, including publications and public presentations.
• Works with Senior Leadership, Officers and Deans to design strategic objectives and action steps that will lead to the successful realization of these projects.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work experience includes knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications preferred include a Bachelor’s or advanced degree.

Qualifications

• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
• Explain complex ideas clearly and simply.
• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Effectively use data to manage the portfolio and programs, as well as report on progress and outcomes.
• Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
• Self-motivated and take initiative.
• Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.

Skills

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System.
• Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

Benefits

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.